


Orlbaq Bhe Sngr.

by SirenoftheDamned



Series: Sjrrg Lvrf, naq Hneq Tehguf. [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: "Do Not Try This At Home" Home Surgeries., Bill is a jerk, Damsel In Distress Dipper Pines, Demonic Possession, F/M, Family Issues, Human Bill Cipher, M/M, Magic Dipper Pines, Major injuries, Minor Injuries, Original Wiccan Characters, Protective Bill Cipher, Slow Build, Young romance, murder threats
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-05-01 06:47:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14514753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirenoftheDamned/pseuds/SirenoftheDamned
Summary: Gravity Falls has been on a long road to recovery from Weirdmaggeddon. After returning back to Piedmont for the school year, Dipper and Mabel return to see their Great Uncles and old friends for summer of relaxation and fun. However, when an old enemy return's and new faces arrive in town, Dipper finds himself thrust back into the mysteries of gravity falls. He must then decide between following his heart, and doing what's best for everyone.





	1. Prologue: Jr Eaq Jurer Jr Ortna.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is a full re-write of my fan-story Beyond Our Fate. I've been away for a while due to some health issues and when I came back I was like, I -could- write up that last chapter...Or! I could rework my old chapters and go from there. Welcome back, anyone who's returning to this story, and hello to everyone who is new.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of the journey for the Fier siblings, William and Willow might be in far over their heads, as they bring forth an old and menacing entity from the Pines family's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I am sorry I haven't picked this back up in a while. I've been in and out of hospital visits and specialist appointments for the past two years. Anyways! I'm finally able to dedicate time back into this re-writem so thanks to my returning readers for sticking it out, and welcome to new ones.

Portland Oregon, A bustling city filled with intrigue and unique people. It's nestled between low valleys, and high mountains, with the Willamette River running through two halves of the territory. But this story doesn't start in the hustle and bustle of a booming, modern city. Rather, it began just beyond the skirts of its borders, nestled deep into the forested countryside within the hills of Mount Hood. It rests inside a worn three-story home, the exterior cracked and weather-worn, with old shingles and dingy windows gaping outward to the land beneath the hill it stood lonely upon. It was beneath the abyss and star-splattered sky, nestled into the crooks of a creaking and dusty old attic. the only light in the home flickered, wild candlelight, which danced and played about the edges of the small attic. It created a silhouette of sharp shadowy edges, and tall, non-humanoid figures. Its warm, orange glow could be seen reflected in the wetness of the inhabitants' eyes, two individuals, barely adults with their still slightly rounded faces, and under-developed forms. They were huddled together in front of a pentagram of tall white candles, rubbing their hands together as they pressed shoulder to shoulder. The first, a girl of approximately fifteen, was hunched over. She was about average in height, with icy blue eyes and fair skin, and traced a dusty finger over the faded words on the surface of a book, the pages worn with age and made of Animal Skin. It was adorned with symbols and shapes, emanating the power of runes of magic, with cursive letters inscribing the ways to perform some form of ritual. The girls' eyes followed the foreign words on the page, her lips mimicking what she saw, though soundlessly. There was a slight tremor in her hand, her breathing uneven as it pulled through her nose and exhaled. On her neck, just slightly swinging in an out of her view, was a witches knot, made of silver. It glistened in the light from the closest candle, creating a slight glare against the center of their five-pointed circle. The girl jumped when the trembling hand of the other came to grasp the material of her white cotton dress, her gaze meeting with a pair of nervous, forest green eyes. 

"Are you sure about this, Willow?"

The second, Likely no older if not the same age as the girl, was a boy with olive skin and luminous green eyes. His voice carried softly, with a meekness that was in wild contrast to his appearance. He was fairly tall, with his hair dyed a very light bond, and a small mole below his left eye. His white upper teeth had snagged at his bottom lip, which he was chewing at with preoccupied anxiety. The girl, whom he called Willow, pushed back a thick band of dark hair as she glanced back over the page. She could see the glare from his witches knot as well, both hanging from a leather cord around their necks. She seemed to hesitate as she stared at the ritual instructions, wax slowly dripping onto the dust layered wooden floor as the white candles burned away slowly.

"We've already come this far William, it would be senseless to stop now. Besides, we're doing this for mother, you do care about mother don't you?"

Willows tone was pejorative, her lips pierced in judgment as she glared upwards at Williams cowering figure. She could see the other tremble, waiting for him to draw back slightly before she returned to the page. This time it was her breath that shook within her rib cage, drawing it in deeply through her nose and out soundlessly from between her lips. William had clenched between his hands the material of a woolen yellow sweater vest, which nestled itself over the softer material of a cotton button-up shirt. He gazed worriedly at the page, appearing trepidacious in a similar manner to a wild animal when coming into a humans yard, or as a cat that was found a snake slithering across the grass. 

"B...But, what if this backfires? We...We don't know who or what we're summoning. It could eat us...Or possess us...Or make us eat each other."

Williams form shook almost without control, voiceless, snotty sobs heaving with every sharp breath he took. He had released the material of his shirt, wrapping his arms around his torso protectively and shrinking himself down in an upright fetal position. A verbal hitch left his lungs when Willow reached forward and grabbed the sides of his face. Her fingers rubbed gently at his cheekbones and she hummed the tune to "Go To Sleep Little Baby", waiting until his breath evened and his trembling had calmed down before she stopped and forced his eyes to meet hers, pulling his head upwards until they were level with each other.

"William, we'll always have each other. No matter what happens, it's us against the world, remember that. If something happens to you, I'll be right here, it's what twins do. But I need...We need, to do this."

William gave her a skeptical nod, fiddling again with the scratchy wool of his sweater-vest. His sister had already returned to the book, her gaze only leaving it as one of the candles flickered out. He could see her face twist up into a grimace, her right index finger flicking forward with a loud snap which re-lit the wick of the candle. She stepped away from the book and placed five items in each space of the pentagram, ranging from a ravens claw to valerian root. He breathed heavily as she returned to the book, the sporadic movement of her chest making her shadow dance wildly against the back wall, William joining her at her side as they prepared to start to ritual. The center of the star house a picture of their mother, there was a warm smile of the face of the older woman, the twins and a third girl holding her hands, her eyes glistened in the light of the candle's the same shape and shade as Willows and her chestnut brown hair pulled up into a bun. 

"I trust you Willow."

With the last exchange between them, the twins each grabbed engraved ritual knives, cutting into their palms in spots scarred from obvious practice. They dripped their blood over a quartz obelisk at the top point of the star, watching it pool together for a moment before they both grabbed thick strips of cotton and wrapped their palms tightly. The two exchanged worried glances with each other, both wetting their lips at the same time and returning to the book in front of Willow. They chanted out a passage from the book, the words nonsensical and bizarre on unpracticed tongues, sounding more and more foreign the longer they chanted. If either of them had understood what they were even saying, it wasn't clear, Willow occasionally pausing as she started to trip over the non-repetitive pieces. The candles pulsed with a blinding blue fire as they continued, the world around them bleeding out color save for the candles flame and their mother's eyes in the center of the star. The fire burst upwards with a blinding ferocity and both twins threw an arm over their eyes to mitigate the light. For a moment, it was quiet, the kind of quiet that came deafening to the ears and left a deep seeded feeling of dread in the gut.

"Well, well, well. Portland Oregon. First time I've been summoned here. And what's this? Wiccans?"

The voice that broke the silence echoed against the nearly emptied walls of the attic, a kind of sound that was nowhere yet everywhere in the room at once. The twins each uncovered their eyes and looked upwards at the looming figure, the silhouette of its triangular form, and top hat shadowed off the back wall of the attic. Willow breathed in sharply as a thin black hand grasped at her witches knot, steam rising from where the abysmal skin touched the silver. She scooted back with arms trembling under the scrutinizing yellowish gaze of the creature they had summoned, even her lips trembling as she seemed to struggle to speak. The singular eye of the creature turned at the corners, upwards like it was grinning wickedly, enjoying watching the teenager quiver. 

"We...We call for a contract."

Willaims voice grabbed at the attention of the creature and it swiveled to him with impeccable speed, the boy staring just as wide-eyed as his sister but his tremble much more controlled than her own. There was a moment that it seemed to be staring him down, grabbing his Knot as well and fiddling it with its three fingers as it judged the teen's stillness. Time didn't seem to matter in the colorless room, but it felt like a stretch of eternity before it had released his knot and crossed its arms behind its back, floating in a circle around William as it sized him up.

"And what is it, that you think -you- have to offer me?"

The silence returned as William struggled through his breath, his gaze meeting that of his sister who was trembling and breathing heavily just a foot or less away from him. Their gazes met and he could physically feel her fear, his voice hitching in his throat for just a moment before he forced himself to look away from Willow, and return to the thing they had summoned. He could feel his sister physically begging him not to answer, to let her take control or to call off the whole thing, but they had come so far, and looking into the unblinking cyclops' eye, he felt that if he did not respond, they'd likely not leave this transaction alive.

"You're not able freedom in...In the physical world right? Well...I...I offer myself, as a vessel."


	2. Chapter One: Lnaqzvarf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper and Mabel Pines return to Gravity Falls for, what is meant to be, one last family get together before the Stans go on a five year trip to the Côte d’Ivoire. Its meant to be just an easy summer staying in the old shack with Soos and Melony, but when Stanley rediscovers the copy he made of Journal Three, Dipper can't seem but to dive right back into the dangers and intrigue the journal always held for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Throwing up the official Chapter One! This will be a combination of the "first" and "Second" chapters of my original version of this story. As well as an over-all rewrite. 
> 
> -Enjoy.

Gravity Falls Oregon, a sleepy little town in the middle of nowhere, where nothing ever happens. It serves as a depot to and from different ends of the Oregon bus line, as well as a popular tourist spot on the tour of weirdness. Here the attractions include the people, who are reclusive and not so down with the times, and the Mystery Shack which serves as a glorified tourist trap run by a man named Soos. It's original owners, Stanley and Stanford, handed it over to Soos when they went on a North Atlantic fishing trip. This summer they returned to the shack so they could regale their friends and family with the stories of their triumphs and discoveries, as well as clean up some residual issues left behind by last summers "incident". Once again they invited their great niece and nephew, Dipper and Mabel Pines, to enjoy the summer surrounded by old friends. The paternal twins sat side by side in a cramped bus seat, gangly limbs tangled against faux leather seats which stuck to their bare legs from the friction of the road and the summer heat. There was nothing for the past few miles but thickly entangled deciduous trees and underbrush, the scenery starkly contrasted to their home in Piedmont, California. They shared eager glances as the bus rolled passed a sign "Gravity Falls, nothing to see here folks." as the road became less maintained and more riddled with cracks and potholes. The old greyhound sputtered and hissed as it stopped by a dilapidated bus stop bench, the doors swinging outwards to release it's only two remaining passengers. Mabel, the taller of the twins, was the first off of the bus with her auburn hair bouncing against her shoulders in wavy half-curls. Her eyes illuminated in the sunlight, glistening off of her metallic rainbow suitcase which she drug through the dusty earth behind her, it's wheels grappling with the gravel around her. Dipper, the smaller and less openly enthusiastic of the two, lolled along behind her with a large canvas bomber hat partially obscuring his vision and tussling his similarly colored and shaped locks of hair.

The twins waved with some enthusiasm to the bus driver as the bus roared back to life and continued its path onto the next town over, dust floating up into the mid-day air as it disappeared beyond the visible tree-line. 

"So, Gravity Falls. Honestly, I was a little worried we'd never come back here."  
Dipper's voice carried listless in the warm summer air, his hand in the pocket of his khaki shorts while he leaned slightly against his stuffed blue duffel and worn leather suitcase. Mabel bounced on the balls of her feet excitedly at her side, lending a sharp punch to her brother's shoulder while a toothy grin stretched from cheek to cheek across her face, her floral puppy-faced sneakers lighting up along the mid-sole as she stomped her foot down.

"Yeah, yeah. Like you aren't just as excited as I am! After all, you get to see W-E-N-D-Y-"  
Mabel's tone, in stark comparison to her brothers, was animated with her hands waving somewhat wildly while she teasingly elbowed her brother's ribs. Gruffly, Dipper adjusted the bomber on his head and proceeded to rub the area of his side his sister had assaulted, his mop of brown hair dampened from the heat the hat created beneath it. He eyed his twin with a weariness that complimented the bags beneath his eyes rather well, his upper molars snagging the corner of his bottom lip for just a moment as he surveyed the road.

"I don't know Mabel, it's been a year...Wendy probably has moved on to some guy more her age, or maybe she's even moved out of town...I mean, that's unlikely since she takes care of her dad...but what if something terrible happened? She could have been crushed by a falling log, or maybe she was eaten by a Gremlobin, or maybe-"  
Hastily Mabel pressed a finger to her brother's mouth, her eyebrow raised high above her lid as she watched the nearly sporadic movement of her twins chest. She graced her brother with a warm smile, moving her finger away as he caught his breath and moved on to fidgeting with the bottom hem of his t-shirt. 

"All of that is possible Dip in' Dots, but I have a good feeling about this summer, and I'm sure Wendy is safe and sound. The town really calmed down after...Last summer, remember? Pacifica even said in her letters that the creatures have been fairly well behaved! So stop worrying so much."  
After a reassuring smile was given to her brother, Mabel turned back towards the road, watching with verve as a red El Diablo convertible made its way up the road where the bus had disappeared to. Two elderly men of identical appearance and stature occupied the front seats, their faces wide with grins as they pulled up to the twins. There wasn't a moment wasted between the car stopping and Mabel leaping over the passenger side door to embrace the older men, laughter filling the space between them. 

Dipper hung back for just a moment as he loaded his and his sister's bags into the trunk of the vehicle, his gaze warming considerably when he made eye-contact with his great uncles. He came around the side as his sister had and joined her in embracing the other two, the teens awkwardly draped over each other as they vied for a good reach on their relatives. Greetings were exchanged between the four as the younger set of twins got themselves settled into the backseats. The freshly cleaned leather seats and well-vacuumed flooring consumed Dipper with a fascination that he didn't relinquish until they had already parked in front of The Mystery Shack. The four stood side by side as they breathed in their past memories in unison, the buildings log-wood exterior fully cleaned up by its current owner Soos, even the sign on the roof was straightened with fresh shingles around it. The pang of nostalgia Dipper felt faded into a feeling of mourning as he realized that everything was completely different now. It was as if the Shack's make-over had erased some of the histories he had in it the year prior. He felt his movements were robotic as he started to unpack bags, carrying them up to the pristine wood door with a brand-new glass window where once there was a screen. His gut told him that the inside was probably different too, as Soos had clearly done a good job bringing in business and fixing the old place up. He couldn't tell if any of his relatives were as bothered as he was, the sinking feeling not going away even as Soos and Melody greeted them at the door with open arms.

"Heya hambones, how was the bus trip up?"  
There was a thick lump in Dipper's throat as he looked up at Soos. Even he had cleaned up some, with his once scraggly attempt at a beard more kempt, and his head better shaven than Dipper remembered it being. His attire was more akin to what Stan use to wear around the shack, ditching the Question Mark tee and khaki shorts for a full suit equipped with a loose colonel tie. Mabel leaped up to the man with the same enthusiasm she carried all the time, laughing excitedly as she showed off her now brace-less teeth. She regaled him with tales of their last year in middle school, talking about her fall, winter, and spring romances, though some, Dipper was certain, were imaginary. There was a bitter-sweetness to the reunion, marked by the shocked silence that overcame the four Pines' as they entered the main area of the shack to find it filled with a variety of semi-realistic attractions, and even a few interactive information boards regarding the exhibits. Dipper eyed a glass paludarium which housed live eye-ball bats, their eyes peering down at him in their black lit enclosure with unsettling intensity. He cringed and hurried behind his sister and great uncle's, glancing back at the poor creatures for only a moment.

"I thought we weren't going to use real monster's as attractions."

Soos beamed back at him and placed his palm on the pristine glass front of the enclosure. The bats steered angrily and smacked their huge eyes against the other side, a penetrating shriek filling the air. The intensity made Dipper cringe, his jaw clenching slightly and his fist closing around itself. He made eye contact with his twin sister, who worried the bottom of her lip with her front teeth. 

"Well, y'know it was Melody's idea. These lil' guys are harmless and easy to, y'know, feed. So I went out and I caught a few. Not that anyone thinks they're alive, y'know?"

Dipper shot him a skeptical look, a pang of guilt hitting him as he saw the bats hit the glass again before settling back into the black-lit back end of their enclosure. Holding real live creatures captive didn't sit well in his gut, but he didn't have much time to ponder it before they were guided into the live-in part of the shack. Even the home part had been well cleaned up and fixed. The floors had new wood which had also been lacquered and polished. The kitchen had newly installed cabinets and appliances, with granite counter tops. The once broken table with old stains had been replaced with a new long table and six brand new chairs.  
The rest of the shack was also done up, a few of the better condition antiques still inside but restored. Mabel was brought to what was once the hidden switching carpet room, where she would be staying separate from her brother. Stan and Ford were going to be staying in the newly decorated second level of the basement. Though it was to Ford's chagrin that the room had been disturbed. Dipper himself was brought up to the old attic he and his sister shared last summer. Like everything else, it was nicely fixed, with a twin bed against the slanted back wall which had matching side tables. There was also now a desk where the other bed had been and a new bookshelf which had only a few books on it. The closet had built-in shelves on one side, and a brand new rod on the other for hanging clothes. It was deeper than it seems to be, a decent sized dresser against the back. 

"Well...at least there is...a lot of space."  
Dipper mourned for the way the shack used to be, even if he did enjoy the changes Soos had made. He wondered if his family felt as upset as he did, the teenager unpacking his two bags of belongings and setting up the bed with a provided sheet and quilted blanket. He could still see the woods from the triangular window onto the roof, a bench seat now installed at its base with a comfortable looking cushion. There was a familiar itch to explore as he pulled out a hand-made leather journal, it's pages hand cut and it's binding made of leather cord.

He unlatched the metal clasp and flipped through the first few pages, full of a few illustration and writings on creatures from his home in Piedmont. He had decided last fall to start his own journal, though the ones he once knew and loved were gone, he was determined to fill his with some of his favorite creatures this summer. His journal was much different from his great uncles', each page detailing the behaviors and interests of the creatures as well as descriptions of their preferred homes. He had a lot more respect for magical creatures that he'd had a year ago, not treating them as monsters he needed to hunt. Some creatures were still incredibly dangerous, and he'd noted that for the few close calls he and Mabel had during his home town escapades. 

Once settled in, Dipper was quick to rush back down to the main floor of the shack. He felt a restless desire to explore, too antsy to sit around the shack. He wanted a distraction from the changes, yearning for the familiarity of the woods. He had some ideas of which creatures he wanted to re-find and he wanted to drag Mabel or Ford out with him. He found the rest of his family gathered in the living room, memories of Stan sitting in front of the T.V. watching things like Ducktective flooding through as he noticed the Dinosaur skull was still adjacent to the couch. Of course, it was one of the only things that had stayed the same, even the T.V. replaced with a larger, newer model. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying Pitt Cola's, and Dipper wondered if he was the only one having an existential melt-down over the differences. He met Mabel's eyes as she was turning around to address Ford, her gaze dropping immediately to the journal in his hand. 

"Dips, we just got here. Don't you have people you'd like to see first?" Mabel pleaded with her brother, her gaze turning to her great uncle's for some form of support but they both just rubbed at the backs of their necks, avoiding her gaze. "Well, nothing stops anyone from, y'know, coming with me. Plus, until Wendy comes in for work tomorrow I don't exactly have anywhere to be other than the woods. I just wanted to check in on the gnomes anyways." Dipper knew he was lying about the gnome's, he actually wanted to search for a Leprecorn which was in a far less friendly section of the woods, he figured he'd also check on the size changing crystals while out too, but he was hoping on getting either Mabel or Ford to come along with him. Mabel paused as soon as he'd mentioned the gnomes, understandably uncomfortable after what had happened with the gnomes last summer. She looked equally apologetic, avoiding Dipper's hopeful gaze. 

"I'm sorry, I sort of already planned to meet up with Candy and Pacifica. Grenda won't be back from her overseas trip to see Marius for another week but we'll be meeting up when she gets back."  
Dipper understood his sisters' position, his thoughts wondering to Nate, Wendy, Lee, Thompson, Tambry, and even Robby. Even so, the itch to explore was too strong, and he wasn't sure he could handle any more changes, and after a year he imagined his friend's lives were drastically different. Either way, Dipper didn't want to push Mabel, he turned his attention to Great Uncle Ford, the elder Pines quietly still gawking at Dipper's personal journal. It took a moment of silent staring for Ford to look up and meet Dipper's gaze. He offered only an apologetic shrug, gesturing in the general direction of the Underground Lab. The lack of his interest in the venture deflated Dipper's resolve a little bit, the young teenager hard pressed to obscure his disappointment. 

"Mabel is right Dipper, you should take some time to relax. I'll be, y'know, down in the lab. But let's avoid starting any trouble day one okay?"  
Ford's heart was in a good place, and Dipper understood why he gave the warning, though it didn't really change much about the fact that Ford was clearly more interested in making sure Soos didn't completely dismantle his lab than he was in exploring the likely much-changed woods with his great-nephew. He was looking forward to Ford's insights since he wrote the original journals, which Bill had burned during Weirdmageddon, all of the lost knowledge of the other two journals probably still swirling around in his great uncles' minds. He debated just hanging around the Shack as Mabel had suggested, but as he peered around to all the was different he resolved to go out even if it was alone. He told his family he wanted fresh air, heading out the glass pane front door with a half-hearted wave to Soos who was busy behind the gift-shop counter, taking inventory. The sun was still fairly high in the noon sky, the light nearly blinding Dipper as he stepped out onto the grassy lawn of the shack. The mowed grasses barely came up to his ankles, brushing against his socks, several small insects making a ruckus in the surrounding area. Dipper pulled a deep breath into his lungs, the crispness of the mountainous air almost stinging his nostrils. He grinned to himself and unclasped his personal journal, pulling a fountain pen out of his front vest pocket and start the title page for both the Crystals and the Leprecorn. He tapped the end of the pen against his chin as he contemplated what else he should add, deciding to add Falls Gnomes and Faeries to his list. He was fairly proud of his own journal, filling its beginnings with creatures from his home town, but he didn't write in their weaknesses or how to defeat them. His research focused more on their social, dietary, and territorial habits. His time in Gravity Falls had taught him a lot about how complex magical creatures actually were. He was about to pack it all back into his vest when he heard Mabel call out to him form the deck, the teen turning to face his twin sister who came bounding out with a brown backpack. 

"Wait, Dipper! I know you're going out into the woods so at least make sure you have this. I put your medicine in there along with a water bottle. Please, please, please take your pills. I won't be out there if...y'know."  
Mabel wheezed out as she ran up to her brother, half kneeled over as she held the bag out to him. Dipper swallowed harshly when she mentioned his pills, his face tinting pink as he grabbed the bag from his twin and unzipped it, looking at what she'd put inside. He snickered as he saw a flashlight, a Gravity Falls map that was a year old, a small lunch, and a walkie-talkie. He furrowed his brow as he held up the walkie, staring at his twin who pulled an identical one out of her back pocket. 

"If you get into a tight spot, please contact me on these. The channel is already set to four so you shouldn't accidentally call some trucker or something."  
Mabel assured, speaking into the walkie for emphasis. Dipper let a smile creep up his face, the teen patting the top of his twins head in appreciation. He remained warmly amused as she puffed out her cheeks with her breath, re-adjusting her hair meticulously before turning away from him with a wave and bounding back to the shack. He kept up his smile until she was back inside, the expression faltering immediately and his gaze falling to an orange prescription bottle in the bag. He debated doing as she asked and taking his medication, but he didn't want anything to interfere with his research, not even his medicine. He steeled himself mentally and closed up the bag, leaving out just the map, his personal journal, and his pen. He gave the shack one more forlorn look before he bounded off into the thickly vegetative forest, holding the left strap of the back-pack against his chest with one hand and holding the map open with the other. He had a general idea of where the Leprecorn was most commonly seen, mentally dotting out his intended path from his memories of the woods from last year. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dipper traversed the over-grown forest with much less finesse than he'd hoped, stopping every few feet as he stumbled over a raised root, or snagged his leg on a thorny vine which had snaked its way through the low-lying plants on the forest floor. The canopy above his hosted large, towering ever-greens which blocked out most of the sunlight from reaching the lower areas. Acidic pine needles killed off other plants in patchy spots, giving an awkward but welcome occasional break from the rest of the brush beneath Dipper's feet. His mind returned again to his medicine as it had little else to focus on while he paved his way through to his destination, flashes of memories from a series of hospitals and group therapy sessions from last year plaguing him. He felt a few stray tears trickle down his cheeks as his emotions betrayed him, the teen pausing his trek to regain his composure and to re-check his map. He counted each of his fingers as he pressed them against his thumbs, breathing in and out deeply with each pass until the burbling numbness expelled itself from his chest and he was left warmed by the patch of sunlight he stood in and embraced with unfamiliar ambiance. The strangeness of the sounds beckoned him to look at his actual surroundings, the forest strange and gnarled from around him. The position of the sun suggested he'd been walking for maybe an hour or two, the shadows on the trees grew much longer from its position and from their impressive size. 

He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, looking down at his map as he tried to mentally picture the route he'd taken to get wherever he was. Dipper was disappointed to not really recognize where he'd ended up, the teen walking forward with his nose in the map as he tried to find some form of familiar geography or landmark he could use to re-orient himself. He missed a large root which was stuck upwards from the ground, his left foot hooking into the loop it had created with the sediment beneath it. The teen yelped as it sent him in an off-balanced tumble down a small incline, the backpack scraping against his back and slipping from off of his shoulder while his body slid to the base of the dip in the terrain. He watched the world spin around him, his body pulsing from the strain and all of the scrapes he incurred via some rocks that were embedded into the incline. The tree canopy seemed as though it was circling him, mocking him as the dizziness overwhelmed him and he held back the desire to puke. Dipper sat still while his senses re-oriented, a low-grumbling growl echoing from somewhere not far enough away for comfort just as he was starting to settle. The guttural tone of it sent the teen scrambling to his feet, an unmistakeably sharp pain resonating into his ankle and up his calf as he stepped down onto his left foot. The intensity forced a yelp from the teen, the forest filling from every corner with the echo of his cry. He paused in an unmoving silence as it drew the forest to an uncomfortable calm, his own breath filling the space the ambiance had left. He bit at his lower lip as he waited for something to either leap at or away from him, the daunting climb back up the embankment looming just in front of his half-leaned form. When moments passed with no evident movement from the woods around him, Dipper resigned himself to trying to re-conquer the incline. The teen heavily favored his left leg as he put only the barest amount of pressure on it, wincing with each movement, his breath whistling through his clenched teeth as he breathed in through them.

He lowered himself down to sit at the base of the trunk, carefully removing his shoe and sock from his right foot so he could check the damage. What greeted him was an ankle slightly reddened and swollen nearly twice its normal size. He hoped that it was just a sprain and not a torn ligament, his thoughts drifting to the walkie that Mabel had put in the bag for him, the realization that the bag was gone from his shoulder hitting him in a panic within just seconds of him examining his ankle. He tried to shoot up so he could look for it, the pain in his injured ankle crippling him back down against the tree with a stifled cry. He couldn't see his bag from where he was seated, but he still felt his journal pressed against his chest, the pen not too far from where he first started rolling. He debated crawling to it, so he could write a passage on the weird Oposquirrels which still bounced around both above and near him, but the position against the tree was just comfortable enough for him to reconsider. He felt both protected and vulnerable while leaned against the large cedar, his back covered but his ankle stopping him from really being able to defend himself. He mentally berated himself for not doing as Ford had asked, and staying at the shack. It was strange and unfamiliar sure, but it was no more so than the woods he was in now, and it was certainly much safer. He left himself run through a mental loop for several minutes before a rustling sound from the nearby thicket near him broke him of it. He steeled his breath and trained his eyes on the moving foliage, a less than dignifying scream erupted from his lips as something emerged from the thicket. Something red poked out first from the entangled growth of a low lying bush, the sudden appearance of the source of the movements adding onto his panic as he roughly pressed himself against the tree. He felt his back throbbing from scratching against the flaking bark when he fell. He felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him as he stared into the eyes of the creature that had come from the underbrush, an amused grin across its small face. 

“Dipper Pines right? Wow, you are, you are still just as underwhelming as I remember. Hey is your sister around here?”

A groan passed Dippers lips, recognition in his eyes as he visually sized up the small humanoid with puffy brown hair, the little man hardly taller than Dipper's own calf. He was followed by two others who had white hair and beards of varying lengths, their red caps bobbing on top of their little heads.

“Jeff was it? Look, man, I know we all went through some stuff last summer but can’t we just let bygones be bygones?”  
He hadn't easily forgotten about the first time he met the Gnomes, or Gideon Gleeful, one of those events being tied to Bill's entrance into his life. He shivered at the washing memories, Jeff looking on with complacent indifference as the human teenager had some form of mental crisis before him. While Dipper struggled to maintain his breathing the Gnomes kept digging at the thicket, pulling up roots of certain plants and piling them into little hand-woven grass baskets that a few of the members in the group had strapped onto their back. The kept at it until the Teen had finally stopped heaving, Jeff turning to face Dipper again.

“Yeah, yeah sure. Bygones and all that. So! Is Mabel still single?”  
Though still reeling from his small panic attack, Dipper could already feel a nagging headache that he'd come to associate with Gnomes gnawing at the back of his mind, his expression growing slightly soured as Jeff inquired about his twin just has he always had last summer. 

"She’s not interested, trust me. Wait, you’re not –still- trying to kidnap girls are you?”  
The implications of Jeff trying to steal girls while he was at school left him a little unsettled, though obviously, he’d never succeeded since he was asking about Mabel. He peered just past Jeff at the other Gnomes in his party, watching as the dug up more of the roots and even pulled off the tips of other plants, busily foraging whatever they could from the thicket while their leader chatted with Dipper.

“Yeah well, we the gnome people need a queen worthy of our status and dignified existence. The other girls were just unworthy.”  
Dipper rolled his eyes heavily, his arms crossing over his chest and a single brow raising on his face as he eyed Jeff. He held half contempt for the little creature but he also realized that having a breeding queen was imperative to their survival. He wondered about where Gnomes normally found females, and from which species they typically shot them in. He'd never seen a female gnome but he didn't doubt they had to exist, somewhere. He made a mental note to look into that one later. 

"Right, cause Gideon was quite worthy of your...status."  
He took a little more pleasure than he'd like to admit in the disgruntled expression that crossed Jeff's face, the gnome crossing his arms and looking away from Dipper's face, his gaze falling to his expose ankle. There was a small moment of silence between them as Jeff stared blankly at the teen's swollen ankle, his head tilted slightly to the side and the other Gnomes slowly joining him and mirroring his position. 

"Y'know for Bi-peds, you humans have ridiculously weak joints. I mean, you guys hit an air pocket and you trip. Hey, do you know what causes those? Little invisible gremlins. Complete jerks, honest to all. Anyways, you don't look like you can get too far on that on your own and, trust me, you don't want to stay here."  
Jeff mocked Dipper with both words and tone as he approached the teen's ankle, lightly pressing it sending another jolt of pain through Dipper's leg. The teenager hissed again through his teeth, his brows knitting while he listened to the Gnome talk. He could see the rest of his band moving to his side, the set of about fifteen individuals descending the incline and disappearing from his sight. Concern washed over Dipper as he kept glancing to his peripheral, rustling sounds and little huffs sounding off from beside him. As if it was queued, when Jeff mentioned not staying where he was the low, guttural growl echoed through the woods again the panic-inducing sounds nearly forcing Dipper to his feet but Jeff put more pressure on his Ankle, forcing him to stay down a stern glare pointed to the teen.

"Do you want to die? It's attracted to movement."  
Jeff hissed his warning in a low tone, the Gnomes down in the little dip as still like everything else in the forest. Dipper tilted his head as he racked his brain for any knowledge he might have on such a dangerous creature. A couple came to mind, including the look behind, but the look behind wasn't known to make more than an unsettling rattle. He pondered the possibility of an entirely new kind of creature living deep into the woods, something even Ford hadn't found. The idea would have been exciting under different circumstances, but with his leg coping a fit there was no way he was going to entice something that could likely eat both him and the Gnomes around him. There were moments of silence before the Gnomes started moving up the incline again, Jeff breathing out loftily and patting the non-swollen part of Dipper's foot. 

"Ah man, too close for comfort small human. Normally I'd leave one of your kind out here to deal with their own issues but, and don't let this go to your head, I like you way more than I like that Great Uncle of yours. Shmebulock agrees too, sure your obsessions with studying us is equally creepy, but the way you look at us is different. He gives off that 'cut you open and play around with your insides' vibe, but you? I mean, I heard about how you actually -talked- to the Multi-Bear, and that guy could barely catch a break."  
As he spoke Jeff waved over the group of Gnomes who'd gone down to where Dipper had fallen, the entire gaggle of Gnomes dragging his backpack up with them. Excitement and relief flooded Dipper when he saw it, but he also listened fairly closely to Jeff as he spoke, genuine surprise replacing the excitement he felt over the bag. He'd never put much thought into how Ford looked at the magical world, but he couldn't deny his methods were less emotional and more empirical by nature. Dipper was just as scientifically fascinated by the magical world, but he couldn't find a form to deny the differences in just their journals alone. It pulled his attention back to the back, the teen leaning slightly over to relieve the Gnomes of their burdens, the group heaving a unanimous sigh. He opened up the bag and found the Walkie inside, turning the dial only to find the drop had damaged it, and it had no signal where he was in the woods. He sighed in disappointment, putting it back in the back and finding two sandwiches that had been packed by Mabel. He eyed the Gnomes for a moment noticing they were watching him with curiosity, a small smile pulling across his face as he pulled out one of the peanut-butter Jellies and unwrapped it, handing it to the group. Every Gnome, even Jeff, surrounded the sandwich, each pulling off little pieces and gobbling down their portions with Jeff seeming to get the largest. Dipper was intensely curious about their social structures but he didn't want to offend them by asking, opting to instead eat the other sandwich, his stomach grumping already. He also found his water bottle stashed behind a first aid kit, the teen taking the bottle out and filling up the cap, placing it down for the group. He'd take a sip and now and then refill the cap so that all of the Gnomes at least got some of the water from the cap. They were small sure, but not faerie small, so he didn't want to deprive them especially since he didn't see any other water sources around. 

"See what I mean? You, humans, are food stingy, but here you are sharing with us. And boy, I gotta say, you may all be giant, smelly, dumb oafs, but you make -excellent- food."  
Dipper wasn't sure if it was really a compliment but he took what he got, offering Jeff a shrug in response. He pulled out the first aid kit while the Gnomes finished their sandwich and drink, finding an ace bandage and icepack inside. He contemplated using the icepack, but he also didn't want to hang out in this section of the woods longer than he needed, choosing to just wrap the bandage around his ankle and carefully put his shoe back on. The bandage made it impossible to put his sock on also, but he just shoved it and any garbage into his bag, unwrapping a granola bar and hading that off to the Gnomes as well. They portioned it up pretty evenly amongst themselves, only Jeff getting the larger portion which Dipper figured was part of his ranking as the future king. He guessed that fell to whichever Gnome was younger, or perhaps it was something they were just born knowing they'd do. He also noticed that they had some form of coordinative communication that he couldn't perceive, the group working flawlessly without so much as words. He didn't doubt that they'd learned English so they could better deal with the humans who inhabited Gravity Falls, begging the question about whether the other magical denizens had also followed suit in that endeavor. 

Once the Gnomes were done, putting some of the extra granola in their baskets for a later date, Dipper zipped up his bag and placed it onto one shoulder. He shifted awkwardly for a moment as he tried to think of how to stand, eventually just planting his back against the tree and choosing to shimmy upwards. Jeff gave him a mocking clap of approval and motioned for him to follow, the teen and the Gnomes slowly walking through the woods in what Dipper at least thought was the way he had come in. As the sun began to rise higher above him and his legs ached with the effort of walking he could make out the tree's starting to thin out. Relief overwhelmed him for a moment as he started to recognize where he was, the area younger wood wise than the one he'd come from due to constant lumber activity. This wasn't too far from where he met the Manitaur and he knew from there it was about a half-mile to where he and Mabel first met Jeff and the other Gnomes. Dipper was less concerned about the kinds of creatures that lived around these parts of the forest, most of them being familiar with and to him after the events of the past summer. His Gnome companions also seemed to relax as they neared their home territory. Dipper wanted to ask about how large their actual territory was but he decided he'd save it for another day. Jeff had been surprisingly hospitable to him, guiding him out of harm's way and even continuing to guide him through to even safer territory.

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The summer heat was slowly getting to Dipper and it pulled him from his musings. Trudging forwards his legs made the ground seem like mud instead of dried dirt and pine needles, his calves, especially his right one, quivering from the effort. He sighed heavily and reached up past the bill of his hat to wipe sweat from his brow, a look of misery crossing his features as he slowed to a stop. He knew he really needed to rest for a moment at least, his body too worn to go any further and pushing it might mean collapsing in the woods too far from the shack for his family to reasonably find him. He scanned the surrounding area looking for a suitable place to sit, letting Jeff know that he'd need to rest a moment. If the Gnome minded he didn't say, using his arm to move the other Gnomes who spread out ahead of them both. Dipper hobbled along behind Jeff a little further until he spotted a space under an older cedar that was relatively clear of nettling branches and scratchy pine cones, the other Gnomes surrounding it and letting off a fairly awful screeching sound. They continued up until Jeff and Dipper made it over, the Gnomes quickly moving to be behind their leader. Dipper sighed with a sense of accomplishment and the enthusiasm of Robbie after Wendy broke up with him, throwing the backpack to the side and removing his short, sleeveless overcoat, tossing it onto the ground to use as a cushion.

He lowered himself onto the ground by pressing his back against the tree, a relieved breath pushing from his lungs and through his nostrils as the pressure was taken off of his legs and feet. He watched Jeff and the other Gnomes clear the area around him, some of the group digging in a circle around the boy and placing down rotten bits of wood into the little holes. He opened his mouth to pose the question, Jeff just holding up a hand to silence him. He obeyed out of a sense of duty to the Gnomes, waiting to get his answer for when a group that split off returned with tiny mushrooms, their roots still intact. He realized that they were building a fairy circle around him, the Gnomes carefully placing the mushrooms into the holes and packing dirt into the spaces the trunks and roots didn't fill up. There was a light glow that the mushrooms let off once the last one was placed, Jeff nodding proudly even though he hadn't done anything physically to help. 

"Alright, we have things we need to do before sunset but this should keep most things at bay until you're ready to move on."  
Jeff didn't wait for Dipper to respond before he and the other Gnomes took off into the underbrush, their little hats bobbing on top of their heads as their stubby little legs made their gate fairly bouncy by nature. Dipper found their gait to be rather amusing, smiling to himself as they disappeared into the distance. He decided would make use of his rest break he took the opportunity to jot down anything new he noticed just from watching them, the forest around him seeming lazy and half-awake in the afternoon heat. Dipper too found the warmth leaving him feeling rather sluggish on top of the exhaustion he felt from his ordeals. The lightly cooling breeze caressing his face certainly wasn't helping his efforts to stay awake, and Dipper found himself drifting off. His eyelids grew heavy and his vision blurred, unfocused shapes filling the fore and background until it reduced to darkness. Birds chirped to each other in the tree's above and insects buzzed around him, the sounds eventually fading out as he drifted into a deep slumber. His body relaxed, leaving his personal journal and pen to roll from his grasp where they remained on the ground beside him. His last conscious thoughts were targeted at his uncle's, and Mabel who he worried he was worrying.

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The forest came alive as dusk etched across the land, the sun tilting away from the tree's leaving a web of stars stretching out across the expansive sky. The night blue slowly faded into deep indigo and the horizon tinted an angry blood red as the entire world seemed to be closing its bleary eyes. A few Faeries arose from their perch upon the head of a human boy who had fallen asleep in their forest, the faeries tiny hands stretching outwards as they yawned. Slowly they drifted into the night air, glittering like white Christmas lights against the dark silhouettes of the trees. Fireflies joined them in the air, the creatures lightly illuminating the forest as faeries danced and giggled and twirled in the air. Owls hooted and fluttered off into the woods in search of food and the restless inhabitants slowly trudged back to their homes.

The Gnomes from earlier too were making their way back to their home, trying to beat the arousal of the late night predators. Finding a few faeries giggling, Jeff stopped in his pace and turned to follow a few his gaze meeting the sleeping form of Dipper whom the faeries were using as a perch. A sharp laugh left him and he beckoned his fellow Gnomes, the others laughing as well.

"Oh man, this is priceless. Mister big bad mystery guy passed out where we left him. What do you boys think about drawing on his face with sap?"  
Jeff mused, the other Gnomes and even a few faeries breaking into fits of giggling that went unnoticed by the sleeping human.

Some of the faeries came to rest on the curly brown hair atop Dipper's head, their small hands braiding strands together as the little creatures chattered excitedly to each other the air around them seeming listless and light. The peaceful and playful nature of the forest was soon ebbed away though, and the faeries were quick to scatter as if the forest was a pond and someone had just tossed in a pebble. 

"DIPPER?"  
A distinctively female voice echoed off of the tree's, the Gnomes now making a hasty escape away from Dipper's sleeping form, none of them wanting to meet whoever was looking for him, female or not. As if the forest was listening, even the crickets and cicadas drew silent, only the sound of snapping twigs and crunching leaves filling in the atmosphere. In the distance a ghostly light bounced off of the tree's, seeming to come from all directions before it and the voice disappeared into the darkness.

Moments passed in silence, and the forest seemed to hold its breath. The world around Dipper still except a few mice who dared to dart out of their burrows in search of seeds or dried fruits. The trees rustled slightly against the breeze and the stillness made time creep forward like spiraling fog until, like a released spring, a pair of wings fluttered from the leaves of the cedar above Dipper. The air filled with a screech and gush of feathers flapping. Like a snap an owl had swooped down and drifted upwards just as quick, something caught between its talons. Following it, the faeries re-emerged from their hiding places to flutter and play around in the warm Oregon sky, all of the sounds and excitement returning to the woods and Dipper rested, completely unaware of the life moving around him.

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Night now embraced the forest in full, the faeries and other creatures who'd come to enjoy the earlier hours now returned to their homes to rest and wait for the emergence of dawn. The moon was just beginning to ascend into the canopy, it's beaming light illuminating the lower terrain of the woods and glittering against Dipper's sleeping face. The woods were now the roaming lands of look-behinds, griffins, and were-creatures, large predators looking to snack on those few who still rustled about in search of food. The atmosphere now seemed more sleepy, the ambiance quieter as even the crickets began to lay down for the night, though a few owls still sounded off and a vixen cried in the distance. Above in the sky, the shadowy silhouette of a large winged creature cloaked part of the forest in darkness as it circled above the moon, its piercing cry like an eagle if one could roar. As the night crept on and Dipper still lie sleeping beneath the cedar, dew beginning to cover his hair as the air cooled, something crept through the underbrush it's shadow passing over Dipper briefly before doubling back to cover him fully.

With its back turned towards the beams of the moon, the creature seemed dark and towering against the tree's that loomed behind the sleeping boy. In the caress of darkness, the figure seemed to sport two long coattails that hung from its hips. Human-shaped hands seemed to tremble as it knelt downwards, sinking closer towards Dipper with the apprehension of a nervous rabbit. Slowly and carefully as though afraid Dipper could leap up at any moment, the stranger reached forward and touched the boy's forehead. Above the Griffin called out into the sky, its massive wings rustling the tops of the young trees. The stranger stood and tilted their head towards the sky, the moon's beams illuminating strands of golden blond hair and glowing yellow eyes. with a steady gaze, they watched the griffin double over-head once more, its talons scraping the tops of the trees and knocking a few ends loose.

"Oh no. Not today bird brain."  
The figure whispered, voice echoing ethereally from their throat. The stranger leaned down and shimmied his left arm under Dippers legs, the right arm reaching behind his head. In a swift motion, he pulled the sleeping boy from the ground, a soft huff leaving his lungs from the effort. Still keeping an eye on the Griffin, the blond stepped back a few paces from the tree, the branches above creaking and crashing as the griffin had dove down with its talons extended out. The half eagle turned its head towards its quarry and the thing that had taken said quarry away, it's auburn eyes blinking as its head tilted side to side. The now opened up canopy illuminated the space below, the moon's beams penetrating through the broken branches and treetops leaving the ground below glowing in soft silver.

There before the griffin stood a human looking creature whose eyes had no iris and whose pupils seemed stretched out like taffy. An excited grin stretched across the blonds face, their expression seeming much more menacing than a human face should even be capable, their arms had a firm grasp on Dipper who still slept soundlessly ignorant to the imminent threat of the Griffin.  
"Look here you overgrown turkey. This forest, this town, this whole world is mine. And this boy? WELL, that's mine too, I have a score to settle with this one and as much as I would LOVE to see his innards become outards, I can't let you or any of these other knuckleheads snap him to bits you understand?"  
Despite the commotion, and being physically removed from the fairy circle, Dipper didn't stir, his breaths as even as ever and his dew soddened hair stuck to his head. The griffin tilted its head to the other side, its wings stretching out past its body as it seemed to weigh its options, a low screech leaving it while it stopped the ground. A cloud of debris floated upwards, the humanoid blond standing their ground as the cloud pushed their coattails backward. The individual pulled a wide-smiled grin across their face, the light from the moon illuminating perfectly sharpened, inhuman teeth. 

The Griffin cried out and cut its losses, taking to the air to find easier prey, the gust its wings produces pushing the blondes tailcoats again as well as ruffling Dippers hair. A soft snort left the blond as they glanced down towards the sleeping boy, golden eyes narrowed slightly while they held a firm grip around the snoozing teen. 

"You would sleep through the apocalypse kid."  
The blond turned away from the penetrating moonlight, deeper into the forest towards the distant sounds of voices in the forest. Darkness enveloped the area and the journal, jacket, backpack, and cap which Dipper had left behind were left to flutter in the breeze, the pen lost beneath the brush as the Griffins movements had pushed it further into the grass. The strange being which carried Dipper whistled an ominous tune, glowing in the darkness of the forest as the continued through the woods with the teen still in their hands. The forest was quiet in a much more primal way now, even the moon seeming to shy away as grey clouds passed over it and further darkened the forest floor.


	3. Chapter Two: Pvgsnyyf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting himself lost in the Woods on his first night back in Gravity Falls, Dipper awakens to find himself back in his bed. With his Great Uncle acting bizarrely avoidant, and his missing items showing up just at the edge of the woods, Dipper finds himself with a mystery to solve. He just isn't so sure he wants the answer he gets.

The morning came with piercing rays of light, penetrating through the deep layers of soundness for which Dipper was adrift in. The ends of his hair were curled around themselves, messy and half-tangled on his head. The teen groaned softly, turning to his side to escape the offending brightness, his fingers brushing the smooth material of his bed sheet. His brows and cheeks pushed up towards his eyes, scrunching his face as the new position failed to mitigate the invading sun. He aroused with a groggy reluctance, hazel eyes blinking open beneath the flutter of eyelashes on his cheeks, lids heavy from being at rest for so long. He laid unregistering his surroundings for several minutes, blurry shapes of his other pillows and the wall filling his field of view. He stretched out all of the tension in his arms and legs, a loud yawn echoing off of the wall as his body reset itself. He caught a faint scent of pine, his brows pulling together and his body rolling over to the other side his eyes scanning for the source. He felt his head sink into his pillow, a sense of disorientation washing over him as he started to make out the shapes of the furniture from his room, his mind failing to recall how he even got there.

He blinked obliviously as his mind struggled to catch up with the rest of his senses, a creeping sense of anxiety bubbling up inside him as he became more and more awakened. He screeched out loudly in shock, pressing his back against the back wall beside his bed, gaze desperately scanning the room as if it'd somehow become foreign. His mind failed him as he stared at the desk across the foot of the bed. Sounds droned together his focus split between the sounds of an analog clock to his left, and the growing cacophony to his right. His thoughts spun into a senseless panic, pushing him further into the small corner of space the right side of his bed occupied. The cold, hard surface of the wall offered a protective shield from his surroundings. He found himself choking on his own breath, the door to the room swinging open so abrupt, the handle slammed against the wall and caused it to bounce back into the face of the one who'd opened it. The noise caused him to jolt, his breath heaving like a fish removed from the water and his gaze tracing rapidly side to side, everything both hyper-focused and unfocused at once. In his state, Dipper barely recognized that his twin sister Mabel had been the one to open the door, the girl groaning in pain and rubbing her forehead as she tried again at entering the room.

"What's wrong Dipper, are you okay?"  
The brunette questioned as her gaze had set upon her panicked brother, seeing the teen's body tremble, light amounts of sweat prickled at the surface of his skin. She held an uncertain stillness as she studied her brother, their great uncles entering in behind her and doing the same as she had. She passed her gaze to Stan, looking for some sort of answer or assurance on her brother's state from him, but she saw a mirroring confusion in him that she held within herself. The only one she could see wasn't surprised or uncertain was Ford, the older man crossing his arms over his chest and drumming his fingers over his forearms. There was a succinct recognition in his gaze that Mabel didn't share, a lofty breath leaving the older man which heaved his chest up and down a slight whistle coming from his nose. He stepped slowly more towards Dipper, his movements purposeful and calculated even as Dipper had pressed himself further against the slanted ceiling.

"Dipper it's okay, you're in the shack, you're safe."  
Stanford addressed the panicked teenager with a calm, authoritative tone. Waiting out Dipper's labored breathes and half rasped inhales before he deemed it okay to way Mabel forward, giving the girl all the permission she needed to go check on her brother. The elderly man wasn't quite good with comforting others, but he knew a panic attack when he saw one, watching as Dipper's hands continued to quiver even when his sister pulled him into a hug, stroking his hair rhythmically. Ford turned to his twin brother Stanley, both their eyes heavy with thick bags from a lack of sleep, although the strain of it wore more openly on Stanley.

"Dipper lost his bag last night, but his parents sent us a spare bottle of his medicine. Can you get it from the downstairs cabinet? It's in the bathroom the kids share."  
He directed his brother, the other just giving a gruff noise of agreement and muttering about 'no one needing and stupid pills' as he turned out of the room and went back down to the main level of the shack. Ford offered a headshake of disapproval in his brother's general direction, his attention back on the younger pair of Pines twins. He gnawed nervously on his lower lip while visually giving the teenaged boy a once over, seeing no obvious signs of physical injury though he couldn't be so certain about the teens' mental state. His thoughts swam about with possibilities, filling the spaces of silence that Dippers labored breathing failed to. The possibilities spiraled and ebbed darkness in his mind, lingering until he heard the return of Stanley. The more haggard twin had shaken the bottle to get his attention, deep-set brown eyes tiredly following the noise and tracing up to the mirroring face adjacent him. He gave an approving nod to his brother when he crossed the room, placing a glass of water and the pill bottle on the teens' nightstand, waving for his brother to follow while he gave the twins space.

"Thank you, Ford, thank you, Stan."  
Mabel called out to her great uncles as they left the room, letting go of her brother in favor of preparing his pill for him. She shot him a reassuring smile as he grasped at the material of her nightgown, the teenaged girl trying desperately to not laugh at her brother's comically messy hair, her thoughts desperate for a distraction so she too wouldn't succumb to panic. She turned back to face him, the pill in one hand and the glass in the other, no recognition in her twin's eyes as he struggled to keep his eyes set on her. She debated just handing the cup to him but she could still see the tremble in his hands, handing him the pill and helping him not to choke on or spill the water. Once she watched him swallow she put the glass back on the nightstand, sitting beside her twin and letting him lean his head onto her shoulder while he hiccuped through the end of his episode. She hummed softly to him as he rode out the end of it, rubbing little circles into the back of his right hand and listening to his breathing. She bit back both her feelings of hurt and her questions that she had towards her brother, knowing that in his current state he was going to be unable to give proper answers and harsh words could drive him right back into that static state of mind.

"S, sorry Mabs."  
Dipper's voice broke the increasingly awkward silence after enough time had passed to numb the twin's legs. He could hear every shuffle of fabric, drumming in his ears while she adjusted to meet their gazes together. Everything was too much and too loud, and too bright for him even the sounds of his small desk clock thrumming in his ears vociferously. He knew his mind was spinning at a mile a minute, dizziness accompanying the awareness at it melded into a lack of ability to actually do anything about it. It took, what to him, was far too many minutes for his medicine to take effect ebbing the panic into a semi-comfortable state of numbness. Whenever he took his medication he felt he was seeing the world from behind a pair of glasses. Sure, the vision was clearer, but it lacked a succulence that the blurred world held without the presence of the glass or frame. He didn't have the strength left to complain about the effects of his medication, his lids heavy as he dragged his gaze back to his sister, not realizing he'd even looked away in the first place. She shifted again, her movements stiff and forced as her arm came around his shoulder her unbrushed hair tickling his face as it fell from off of her shoulder.

"It's okay Dipper. I'm...I'm sure you're confused, given that you were asleep when Ford found you."  
There was a reservation in Mabel's tone that didn't go over Dipper's head, even under the influence of his medication. He turned slightly to where he could better see his twins face better, gnawing his lower lip as he studied her face. She seemed to be holding back what she really wanted to say, and Dipper felt it was because she was worried, though he didn't actually remember falling asleep in the woods. He remembered the Gnomes helping him head back after he sprained his ankle, the throbbing it still produced a sharp reminder of it's the continued presence and leaning against the tree they had planted the fairy ring around. He supposed he had to have fallen asleep at some point under that tree, and it left him curious as to how Ford seemed to know where to find him, or, alternatively, if they'd spent most of the night looking for him. The latter filled him with heavily seeded remorse, the teen actually bothering to study his sister's worn expression and darkened eye rings. He had a lot of questions but he was also certain Mabel did as well, her posture rigid and uncertain.

"I...When you didn't come back after it got dark...And then dinner came and you were still not back. Dipper, I asked you, Gruncle Ford basically begged you, to stay out of trouble. But you did anyway. Just, what the hell were you thinking? Those woods are dangerous, you could have died!"

Dipper recoiled when his sister started to shout at him, his gaze casting away from her as she turned abruptly to him. The teen struggled to formulate a proper explanation, or even generate a good enough apology. He stared with dull, emotionless eyes, even as he saw a tear drop onto his bed, his gaze returning to his sisters face and finding tears falling down the sides of her cheeks, the sunlight reflected as a sparkling light. He numbly told himself that it looked like she had glitter on her cheeks, his indifference to her emotions drawing his sister to sob loudly. Dipper was lost for words, his hand reaching forward without any forethought on his own part, landing on Mabel's shoulder. His twin wiped her eyes clear and her breaths hiccupped as she forced back, what he could guess, was a flood of emotion. Her brows knitting while her mouth twisted into an expression between smiling and frowning.

"I know this is difficult for you Dipper. The shack's not the same, we're too old to share a room, the Stan's are both getting along and not, Soos and Melody are engaged. But, please, please, don't risk your health or sanctity just because things have changed. I know change is hard, I mean...Last year I...Anyways, don't repeat my mistakes okay?"  
Dipper could barely manage more than a numbed nod, a heaviness weighted on his chest as he listened to his sisters' pleas. He tried not to focus too much on last year, and he certainly didn't blame her for what happened, but he understood what she was trying to say. She was so afraid of him staying with Ford and studying with him, that she made a deal with Bill, and opened a gateway for him to create the horror that was Weirdmaggedon. He was almost certain that he'd have been suffering another panic attack if he hadn't already taken his anxiety medication, his gaze falling towards the bottle on his nightstand with a disgusted curl of his lip. He didn't have to see her fully to tell Mabel had followed his gaze, the air between them laden with an awkward silence. It didn't ebb even as Mabel reached out to touch his shoulder, a patient smile on her face.

"Those pills don't make you weak bro-bro. You're the toughest, smartest boy I know. I'm proud to have you as my twin brother."  
Her brother was inclined to disagree, but he held his thoughts back and offered her an empty smile watching her smile in return. She patted his shoulder before halfway crawling off of his bed, straightening her nightgown as she stood up. At that moment she looked so much older, her eyes heavy with exhaustion and the look in her eyes almost wise. He figured they both must have appeared this way, everything about their perceptions changing after Weirdmaggedon. The aftermath left them both changed, their personalities none the worse for wear as well as their minds. He opened his mouth, not even sure himself what words had wanted to come out as Gruncle Stan called for breakfast below. Dipper drew still again, his gaze falling to the floor as if the sound was coming from the boards themselves. He kept his gaze there until he heard the door to his room creak, eyes shooting towards it to catch the retreating form of Mabel who had disappeared faster than his mind could even process. He mentally chastised himself, finally moving over to the side of the bed and letting his legs touch the floor. He felt the circulation return to his feet, the wood cold on his toes as he padded over to his closet. Boxes still sat on his floor from where he hadn't quite finished unpacking, his big toe brushing the corner of one as he stepped around it. The teen hissed under his breath, pulling a plain white T-shirt and a plaid button up from the box the clothes smelling faintly of Stanley's car.

"A lot really has changed, hasn't it?"  
An empty laugh followed his words, his gaze falling to a white piece of paper on the otherwise empty desk. Dipper's movements stiffened slightly, his arm half in the sleeve of his over-shirt as he stepped closer to the desk. The wood floors creaked ever so slightly, the sounds of dishes clanging together echoing from the rooms beneath him. He flitted his gaze a moment to the floorboards, and then back to the paper, taking it in his shaking fingers. Foreign handwriting greeted his scrupulous gaze, a mop of chestnut bangs flopping in his field of vision as he bent over trying to understand the cryptic message before him. He could hear his sister calling for him downstairs, but he was enraptured by the note, a small runic circle burnt into the wood of the desk beneath where it had laid.

**_Gbbqzbeavat Pvar Terr I ubcr lbh qba'g zvaq, npghnyyl I qba'g pner vs lbh qb, Bhg, I ybbxrq guebhtu lbhe wbheany. Iagrerfgvat fghss xvq, xrrc vg hc! Ayfb! Ybh nyzbfg tbg rngra ol n Gevssba. Ybh'er jrypbzr._ **

**< 0**  }{ **|**

"Summoning circle? Sending maybe? But...Who would even."  
His eyes narrowed as he scanned the jumbled up letters for answers, frustratingly uncertain if it was in code, or another language. He traced the runes with his fingers, the burns glowing gold before they disappeared from the surface. He stared curiously at the now untouched surface, no traces of the damage was left, not even smoldering wood. The scent of vanilla and cinnamon wafted into the air. He looked back to the page, the letters shining that same color and for a moment, he was afraid it too would disappear. The scent drifted from the paper just as it had the desk, the glowing dying down and leaving the message unmoved, though now a triangular insignia marked the right corner of the white paper. The page was mocking him, at least, he felt like it was but he'd have no time to decipher it's meaning now. Steps were already echoing on the ladder up to the attic and he felt a fit of protective jealousy over his mystery note, shoving it hastily into a desk drawer before his door had even swung over. 

Sweat beaded his brow, his bangs sticking to the skin just slightly as he abruptly spun to face the door, his sister standing before him with concern in her gaze. She was dressed now, in a rainbow-colored, knee-length nightmare inducing gown which was made of light fabric. If the dress's abhorrent assault on the eyes wasn't enough for Dipper, his sister's light up sneakers certainly would. They were nestled over a pair of cat stockings. The entire ensemble was so unbelievably Mabel, he couldn't help the laugh that passed his lips, tears peaking the corners of his eyes as they strained with the pressure. He watched his sister huff, her hand planted firmly on her hip making the skirt of her dress flourish outward. Her bangs flew up with her breath, a smile played at the corner of her lips and crinkling the edges of her eyes. He mimicked her smile, his sister's perfectly straight teeth and dimpled cheeks amusing him as much as her attire did, even if they shared in those features.

"Hey, I'm not the one wearing a plaid shirt in the middle of summer. Now, come on. Soos, Melody, and the Stans are all waiting for you."  
Dipper offered his twin a guilty smile, adjusting the hem of his overshirt subconsciously while she mentioned the article. The teenager shook her head, turning around with purposeful drama and heading back down to the main floor of the shack. It left Dipper alone in the room, fingertips still brushing the lip of his drawer where he'd shoved the note. His mind itched with the desire to solve the message, eyes flicking to the desk before he gathered his gusto, stepping away from the desk entirely and leaving his room. It was a mystery for later, certainly, but the day would creak by with an agonizingly slow pace, and he knew it would before it even fully began. He was going to obsess about it until it was answered, and then he would have to obsess about the who's, and why's afterward. At least, it was a welcome break from the changes, offering something else to focus on then the figurative death of his favorite memories.

Once he had joined his family at the table, he found himself filled with jittery, nervous energy. It was struggling against the numbness his medicine caused in him and it left his expression sitting between neutral and mildly uncomfortable, it was probably the reason, he figured, that Mabel and Melody were both staring at him. The women would occasionally pause in their chatter about weddings, and other girly topics, to look his direction but he didn't find them nearly as interesting as Ford. The elderly man hadn't so much as looked in his direction since Dipper had joined them at the table, his face the model of a great poker player as he avoided Dipper's curious gaze deftly. Between the note and the odd behavior from his great uncle, Dipper was left with too many questions to properly eat, Melody eventually covering up his plate and putting it in the fridge once the others had finished. 


End file.
